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Ragdoll
Ragdoll (Peter Merkel) is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. He was first introduced as an adversary for the Golden age Flash in a story published in Flash Comics #36 (December 1942). In the series Starman, James Robinson has revived the character, giving him a darker reimagining. His son, Peter Merkel, Jr., most recently used his father's name as a member of the Secret Six. Fictional character biography Golden Age Peter Merkel, a native of the Midwestern United States, was born with a unique condition: "Triple-jointedness". Like the more common "double-jointedness", Merkel's condition was characterized by extremely extensible ligaments and tendons, though to a significantly extended degree. The son of a side-show barker, Merkel found work in a small local carnival as a contortionist and eccentric dancer. In the early 1940s, the carnival fell on hard times and Merkel found himself out of work. Wandering the streets, Merkel despaired of having money. Seeing large boxes of toys being loaded into a department store, Merkel hit on the idea of hiding himself in one of the large rag dolls and then robbing the store after closing. Going unnoticed among the toys, Merkel carried his idea one step further: He would rob while still hidden in the Ragdoll suit. In these earliest days of costumed villains, the idea seemed novel and Merkel decided that no one would believe that a Ragdoll could commit crime. In time, the legend of the Rag Doll grew far and wide. Petty crooks began to seek out the Ragdoll, to take advantage of his criminal success. In 1943, Ragdoll moved his operation to Keystone City. There he had his thugs deliver him as a gift to a young heiress named Geralda Cummins. The young girl was holding a much-touted party for her circle of socialites and the Ragdoll aimed to take advantage of the situation. To coordinate the event, Cummins had selected Joan Williams who had recently begun a party and festival business. It was decided that each of the wealthy guests would donate $10,000 in defense bonds to serve as a prize in a treasure hunt. Whoever solved the hunt first, won the prize. Unknown to Joan, the doll Geralda had received as a gift was listening and planning a much different outcome. The next evening, the guests gathered to hear the reading of the first clue. As the guests departed, the Ragdoll signalled his thugs to follow them to the museum while he stayed to interrogate Joan Williams. His ploy was delayed however, by the untimely arrival of Williams' beau, the Flash. While the Ragdoll remained in hiding, Williams and the Flash departed for the museum to provide the next clue. On their arrival, they were waylaid by the Ragdoll's thugs. While the Flash made short work of the henchmen, Ragdoll himself drugged Joan with chloroform and stole the remaining clue. With these, he could find the treasure himself. With the henchmen wrapped up, the Flash returned to find Joan amnesiac from the chloroform and with no recollection as to the location of the bonds. Taking the first clue, the Flash then began to solve the puzzle at super-speed and intercepted the Ragdoll on the 4th clue, at a local aquarium. The Rag Doll got the jump on Garrick with a swift blow to the skull and dumped the hero into an aquarium containing a giant octopus. He then raced quickly back to the Cummins estate to solve the treasure hunt with the 5th clue. Meanwhile, the Flash came to and after a tussle with the octopus, hotly pursued the criminal. He arrived just in time to see the Rag Doll pull the defence bonds out of their hiding place in the Cummins' grand piano. Quickly, and literally, tying the villain in knots, the Flash returned the gift and carted the outlandish criminal off to the Keystone City Jail. Silver Age Flash is reported to have had several other encounters with Ragdoll over the years but none have been recorded. In the mid 1970s, Ragdoll became a pawn in a rather bizarre series of robberies. After an encounter with the Thinker, Ragdoll became brainwashed to commit crimes based on dolls. When the Flash intercepted the criminal, mundane "accidents" befell the elder speedster, undermining his self confidence. The Thinker's plan was to destroy the Flash's self esteem to the point that the hero would be too ineffectual to stop his grander plans. The Thinker was undone however, by a surprise visit from the Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen, who quickly captured the former carnival worker. Allen also noticed a bizarre aura around the heads of Garrick and Merkel, suggesting that each was being manipulated in some way. At Merkel's interrogation, Ragdoll swore that he had no recollection of any crimes, convincing Allen that there was a greater force at work. Quickly switching Merkel for a real rag doll, he convinced Garrick and the Keystone police that a bizarre transmogrification had occurred and that Merkel was somehow dead. He then departed, only to return and hide in the evidence room when the Thinker himself paid a visit to confirm the demise of his agent. Caught red-handed, the Thinker was quickly apprehended by the two Flashes and both the Thinker and Ragdoll were returned to prison. In the early 1980s, Ragdoll was contacted by the Ultra-Humanite, a long-standing foe of the Justice Society. Along with other elder villains as well as new younger recruits, Ragdoll became a founding member of the second generation of the Secret Society of Super Villains. The Ultra-Humanite had devised a machine that, for the sacrifice of ten heroes from the Justice Society and Justice League to be held in stasis, (five from each team), all the heroes on Earth would disappear. Each villain then was assigned to dispose of his long-time nemesis and Ragdoll took the Flash. After delivering a false tip to the Flash, Ragdoll ambushed the hero on a freight ship in Keystone Harbor. After luring him into the hold, the Flash learned too late that all he would find there was a bomb, the explosion of which dropped the unconscious hero at the feet of his bizarre adversary. As the other members of the Secret Society completed their task, the heroes were dispatched to Limbo, clearing Earth of costumed heroes. Unfortunately, the Ultra-Humanite had deceived the Justice League into helping and while Ragdoll and his colleague waged a massive crime wave, the villains rescued the captured heroes in Limbo. In short order, the Secret Society of Super-Villains were consigned to Limbo and the balance of heroes on Earth was restored. Limbo would not prove a prison for Ragdoll for long. While trapped there, the Ultra-Humanite made contact with himself in the past, when he occupied the body of Dolores Winters in 1942. Through the contact of advanced information, the Ultra-Humanite taught himself a way to open a portal to Limbo in the 1940s. On doing so, Ragdoll and other members of the Secret Society escaped to assist the young Humanite to defeat the All-Star Squadron. After a romp across the landscape of their youth, the ageing villains proved no match for the large numbers of heroes and were beaten back to Limbo. Modern Age By the late 1980s, Ragdoll was well into his sixties. His hyper-elastic ligaments had begun to collapse and over-extend, causing the villain great pain. He was no longer able to even affect the lifestyle of the minor criminal. He soon became senile, and began ranting. As he did, he saw the lost, the homeless and the disenfranchised gravitated toward him, soaking up his words and in time, became a cult of followers blind to his every indulgence and desire. And after a life of defeat and despair, what Ragdoll desired was revenge. He rallied around him a cult that took over the streets of Opal City. That summer, Opal burned and the streets ran red with blood. Ted "Starman" Knight was unable to stop the madman, so Justice Society of America members Green Lantern, Flash, Hourman, and Dr. Mid-Nite joined the hunt. Eventually, the heroes thwarted Rag Doll's plans and captured the villain. Restrained, Ragdoll taunted the heroes, telling him that he would command his horde from prison. He threatened the lives of Jay, Alan, and Ted's families. While the JSA listened to Ragdoll's discourse, the villain strained his limbs to slip free of his bonds and as the heroes seemed lulled, made a quick break for the door. The aftermath was never officially recorded but in an explosion of cosmic energy, Ragdoll was found blasted to a painful death. It has since been largely concluded that Starman, fearing for the safety of his sons, had slain the villain, a fact disputed by witnesses Flash and Green Lantern. The next afternoon, Ragdoll's body disappeared from the morgue. Exactly how Ragdoll survived is unknown. His body was retrieved by his followers however. Some years later, Ragdoll was approached by Neron. In exchange for Ragdoll's soul, Neron gave the villain youth. He also instructed Ragdoll to remain hidden until approached by a man named Simon Culp. Years later, Culp did come looking for Ragdoll's help. Trapped in the form of The Shade, Culp explained that he had a very profitable plan to launch against Opal City and the Shade. Ragdoll agreed to help. Ragsoll helped Culp's gang subdue Mikaal Tomas when the alien attempted to make contact with Ted Knigh. Ragdoll watched as Culp cast a spell on the Black Pirate, causing Opal City to become encased in a shadow-dome. Ragdoll and his gang then helped Culp seize control of the entire city. The villains then paraded their prisoners, baiting Jack Knight into a confrontation. Jack held his own until, cut off from the stars, his cosmic rod failed. As Ragdoll and the villains beat Jack down, the Shade fell to the ground as Culp emerged from within his shadow form. Just as Culp was about to slit Knight's throat, Adam Strange and Black Condor attacked. Their distraction enabled Knight to fight his way free. The three heroes freed Culp's prisoners, and escaped. Culp and his gang remained in custody of the Shade however, and withdrew to prepare for the final rite. While Culp prepared, he sent Mist, Solomon Grundy, Ragdoll, and Crusher to search for the escaped heroes. Ted confronted Doctor Phosphorus in the streets of Opal and, no longer needing to be cautious of his health, fought the villain toe-to-toe. Ted defeated his radioactive foe, and as he was about to deliver a killing blow, he was ambushed by Ragdoll. Phosphorus quickly recovered and the two villains closed in on Knight. They revealed that they had been approached by a man named Neron years ago, who had bid them to wait for the coming of Culp and to aid the dwarf in his plans. As they moved in for the kill, Ted used his cosmic rod to tear the pavement from beneath Dr. Phosphorus and drive him into the earth, killing the villain. With that, the rod's charge was exhausted. Ted turned to face Ragdoll, challenging the villain to kill him, sparing him a suffering death from Phosphorus' radiation poisoning. Ragdoll then turned and left. Ragdoll was then recruited to join a new version of the Injustice Society. He helped rescue the Icicle from incarceration, leading to a showdown with the JSA. In the ensuing battle, the Injustice Society used strange discs to teleport the elder JSAers away. Their mission accomplished, the Injustice Society disappeared. He then briefly rejoined a reformed version of the Secret Society. During an assault against the Secret Six, he battled his son (who had taken over the Ragdoll name and identity). Their battle was cut short by other attacking villains. Soon afterward, Merkel died while in mission with the reformed Injustice Society. The team was attempting to retrieve the Cosmic Key (which would return Johnny Sorrow), but they were betrayed by The Society. In the midst of the battle, it seemed that Ragdoll and the Gentleman Ghost betrayed their comrades, running away with the Key. However, Tigress witnessed the return of Johnny Sorrow, a happening which kills Ragdoll, though the ghost was prepared for it as he hands Sorrow his all-important mask. Sorrow then takes the rest of the Injustice Society to safety in the Crooked House, the former abode of Prometheus, and the Society must lick its wounds and curse the loss of the Key. It is revealed that Gentleman Ghost, Wizard and Icicle were expecting Ragdoll to turn on them, so they set him up to die. Colby Zag Jack Knight has also squared off against a mentally unbalanced impostor named Colby Zag. During the time when the original Ragdoll was believed dead, Zag met band player Mr. Tyrell through the internet. Tyrell had bribed his former band-mates to keep quiet about his involvement in a drug related death. Eventually, his band-mates began extorting more money from him, so Tyrell planned to kill them. He helped Zag adopt the personality and mannerisms of Ragdoll and sent him to kill the extortionists. Zag succeeded in killing four of the five men, but was stopped thanks to the intervention of Jack Knight. Other children Besides his son, Peter Merkel stated to Icicle he had many children. This seems backed up by Peter Merkel Junior's mention of having a triple-jointed brother and the recent appearances of his daughter Alex aka Junior. Along with his children Ragdoll also had his cult followers; who all apparently committed suicide while blowing up their house. Powers and abilities Ragdoll is a master contortionist and, in later years, successful hypnotist through oratories he delivers. His body is absorbent enough to withstand concussive forces capable of rendering most human individuals unconscious. He is an adequate marksman and typically relies on the element of surprise. He is a skilled thief, and augments his stealth with his ability to hide in unexpected places where a human normally couldn't place themselves. In other media Television * Ragdoll has appeared on The Batman, voiced by Jeff Bennett. Able to bend himself into every imaginable (and even some unimaginable, like inside Penguin's top-hat) position, Ragdoll is a formidable opponent for Batman, but an even bigger adversary of Catwoman. His fighting style includes swinging his arms and legs lazily at his opponent, and also bending in different positions when attacking or dodging. Sometimes, fans mistake him for Scarecrow. Interestingly, he hasn't appeared in any of the episodes where Flash appeared, despite being an enemy of his in the comics. It's unknown which version this is, but it can be assumed that it is the villainous original, although unmasked this Ragdoll carries a resemblance to the second. Furthermore, when Penguin forms his team of villains, Ragdoll suggests they call themselves "Villains United" which is the comic title in which the second Ragdoll is introduced. Heroclix Rag Doll has a figure in the last DC set of Heroclix. Category:Male Category:Antagonists Category:Comics